Updates to the Ecoregional Portfolio Core Data

The Conservation Data and Information Systems unit of Central Science is pleased to announce a major update to the map of The Nature Conservancy’s Portfolio of Conservation Priorities.

The Portfolio now includes:

More Freshwater, Marine and Combination priorities, in addition to terrestrial ecoregional assessment priorities, and all are clearly represented with new colors.

International priorities from the Latin America Region, and the Caribbean, China and Mongolia Programs.

Links to Ecoregional Assessment reports stored in EAST. Now you can go from a priority area on the map to an assessment report with just a couple clicks!

Other improvements to enable better spatial analysis and to capture the range of TNC’s global priorities.

Check out the Conservancy’s Portfolio of Conservation Priorities and download the dataset from our interactive web map! More information about the Portfolio is also available from maps.tnc.org!

Why the changes? Better access and a better picture!

Freshwater and marine priorities had limited representation in the previous Portfolio. We made room for freshwater, marine and combination habitat priorities so that we can present the full picture of our planning work. More freshwater and marine priorities will be added from assessments and prioritization exercises as they are provided to us.

International programs have completed ecoregional assessments too, and they have also employed other prioritization methods to create priorities at the range of scales that they work as their programs evolve. Providing space for international priorities was an important step to take. More international terrestrial, freshwater and marine priorities will be added as we receive them from Programs.

The Global Solutions framework is changing how TNC plans its conservation work. Conservation Business Plans will produce updated and new priorities from across the Conservancy and we are ready to store and share those priorities as they’re created, regardless of the tools and scale.

Why all the fuss? Our science matters!

Our conservation portfolio is being used around the world to influence and locate conservation action. For example, the Natural Capital Project has reported to us that TNC’s priority areas are being recommended as places in which to locate development mitigation offsets. And the Caribbean Program has reported its priorities are in demand from a range of stakeholders in the region.

Can’t see your Program’s priorities on the map? Want to make an update? Send them in!

Regardless of the methods or tools used, your Program’s priorities inform conservation activities in your geography and beyond. If you’ve updated your ecoregional priorities or have completed another prioritization effort using new tools, send CDIS your current priorities and we’ll get them added to the map!